AN IMELDIFIC dog—Susan Sarandon may have been talking about Imelda Marcos and Doris Duke, the late tobacco heiress she plays in HBO’s “Bernard and Doris” but her dog, Penny, stole the scene by its nonchalance amid the popping camera flashes at the press con. PHOTO BY RUBEN V. NEPALES
Only in Hollywood Susan Sarandon on Imelda, Doris and one scene-stealing dog By Ruben V. Nepales Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 21:13:00 04/24/2008
LOS ANGELES, California—Susan Sarandon was talking about attention-grabbing subjects like her former gay boyfriends, Imelda Marcos, the late billionairess Doris Duke and Ralph Fiennes in drag when her dog stole the scene during a recent press con at the Ritz-Carlton in New York.
“This is Penny,” said the actress, as she plopped the white dog on the table. Camera flashes immediately started popping. Penny behaved like a true star—she was nonchalant about the frenzied attention, even lying down and dozing off at one point as Susan massaged her.
“She’s hypoallergenic,” the actress said of Penny. “If anyone here is allergic to dogs, don’t worry.”
Susan plays Doris Duke, one of Imelda’s American socialite friends, in HBO’s “Bernard and Doris.” Penny plays Doris’s older dog.
“Bernard and Doris” takes an intimate look into the unusual relationship between the richest woman in the world and her dedicated gay servant (played by Ralph), to whom she left her entire fortune.
“We brought any dog that we could get our hands on because Doris had so many dogs,” said Susan. “Bob (Balaban, the movie’s director) even had to kidnap a dog from his building. Penny was with me in the scenes when Doris was old and in bed because she had a stroke. Penny was in a few scenes. It was a character part for her. She had her hair blown out to look like she’s a wealthy dog.”
Penny’s pedigree
With her trademark large eyes smiling, the Oscar-winning actress quipped, “This is the way Penny normally looks. She thinks the short hair makes her legs look longer.”
Asked about Penny’s pedigree, the New York-based Susan answered, “She’s a Pomeranian-Maltese blend—a mutt, in other words. She’s two and a half years old. We had two big dogs who lived in [our house in] the country. They were Australian sheepdogs who died recently—both of them within six months.”
As she stroked the dog’s fur, Susan stated, “Penny is a good prop. I did a film with my daughter (Eva Amurri) that hasn’t come out yet, ‘Middle of Nowhere.’ Penny is in every scene with me. She just sat there. In one scene, my character and Eva’s character were having a big fight. I have Penny in my arm and I’m waving her around and she was quiet. I’m yelling at Eva and the dog just quietly hung in there.”
“I never had a little dog before,” explained the 61-year-old thespian who bagged the Grandma Lynn role in director Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s acclaimed novel, “The Lovely Bones.” “I never thought I’d end up an old woman with a small dog and here I am. I’ve always liked cats but my daughter was allergic to cats so we had to give them away.”
Since “Bernard and Doris” concentrates on the curious relationship between the somewhat reclusive wealthy woman and her servant-ally, it does not touch on the other aspects of the heiress’ life, like her friendship with the Marcoses. But there are passing references to them.
In one scene, Ralph, as Bernard, who eventually took over Doris’ billion-dollar fortune, pastes in a scrapbook a newspaper clipping of the socialite posting bail for the ex-Philippine First Lady. The $5 million bail was posted by Doris when Imelda was arraigned for fraud and racketeering charges in 1988 (she was acquitted later of these charges). In another short scene, Ralph reads an invitation to Doris for a state dinner at Malacañang.
Generous, but cheap
We asked Susan about Doris and her generous act toward Imelda. “Doris gave five million dollars to bail Imelda out but then she tried to get her to pay her back,” the actress answered. “I don’t think that was so successful. I don’t think Doris saw it as a gift (laughter). That’s what was so interesting about Doris. She’d make these incredibly generous gestures and donations. When you walk around (in New York), you see so many dance companies and AIDS organizations that she donated to. She left money for them in her will.
“She was very generous on one hand and then incredibly cheap on the other hand,” Susan continued. “People who worked for her had a terrible time. Some people who have really exaggerated amounts of money have a fear that people are using them or are taking advantage of them. They like to make these extravagant gestures but they don’t want people to take them for granted.”
“But in terms of the Marcoses, there were all kinds of rumors,” added Susan, who filmed “Women of Valor” in the Philippines in the late ‘80s with local talents like actor Rey Malonzo and art director Ramon Nicdao. “One of the few things that’s definitely been on record is that Doris did come through with the money for Imelda’s bail.
“I don’t think they could have been the same shoe size. So I don’t think that probably entered into it (as the basis for their friendship). Doris was so big and I saw Imelda’s shoes when I was in the Philippines (for ‘Women of Valor’). They were so tiny. So I don’t know if they had shopping in common or what. But I think she definitely liked Imelda more than she liked him (Ferdinand), from what I’ve read.”
Underdog interest
In a separate conversation, Bob Balaban told us, “I did not really learn anything more about their (Doris and Imelda’s) friendship. The only thing I knew was that Doris was very interested in the underdog. She hated it when people are being treated unfairly, even if those people were wealthy and perhaps also treated folks unfairly. She thought it was unfair that the US government was going after Imelda Marcos and that was why she posted bail for her.
“Doris was known to be cheap,” Bob echoed Susan’s opinion. “She had these gorgeous houses but the drapes would be in tatters at the bottom.”
Responding to a reporter’s question about what Doris and Bernard had in common despite their vastly different social backgrounds, Susan answered, “They both lost parents early on. They were both misunderstood and isolated ... This was like a marriage where one person just wants to serve the other person—it doesn’t happen all that much anymore ... Whether or not it was a healthy relationship all the time, maybe not. But I think they really cared about each other.
“Clearly, she trusted him. She wasn’t crazy when she left him all that money and in charge ... But he didn’t know who he was without her. He drank himself to death within three years after her death (in 1993).”
Gay boyfriends
Ever the brave actor, a made-up Ralph sashays in one of Doris’ evening gowns in a dinner scene. Talk of Doris and the gay Bernard spurred Susan to reveal, “I’ve been romantically involved with gay guys. Not recently but early on I had two gay boyfriends. One was a very serious boyfriend. I was the only woman he was ever with. His preference wasn’t what broke us up. I’ve always said to my kid that it’s not about who you’re with but who you ever want to be intimate with. So for me, [Doris and Bernard’s friendship] didn’t seem like such a bizarre love story. People make all kinds of deals and agreements about all kinds of things, from money to kids to where you live.
“Being with another person for any length of time is so difficult. Doris and Bernard obviously found some kind of formula where they accepted each other for who they were. That’s really a big gift. It was very sweet. The complication of Doris’ lifestyle was probably very difficult, with her rambling around in this big old house but I think he really protected her and in a way she protected him, too. She gave him so much responsibility. That must have been reassuring for him. She took him back even though he stumbled once. That forgiveness is part of loving someone.”
Now that Susan’s presidential bet former senator John Edwards is out of the race, the outspoken social and political activist was asked about her new pick. “I’m supporting (Barack) Obama,” she replied. “I don’t know if I’m big enough to be endorsing someone. I definitely prefer Obama over the other choices. I’ve financially contributed to his campaign. I’m never sure if my endorsement helps or hinders somebody so I’ve been kind of laying low.
“I’ve gotten a lot of flak from feminists who feel that I should be supporting Hillary Clinton, to which I say, I thought that the whole point of feminism is that you’re not supposed to be defined by gender. Now you’re telling me I have to vote for a woman? I don’t understand what the reasoning behind that is. I wouldn’t vote for Condoleezza Rice. I hated Margaret Thatcher.”
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